With the economy on the front pages once more following the collapse of Wall Street institution Lehman Brothers, graduates interested in a career in finance may be interested to know that one profession remains in demand even during periods of economic uncertainty - accounting.

According to the Courier-Journal, there is a nationwide "boom" in accounting programs, with figures from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants showing a 19% rise in enrolments since 2004.

Furthermore, last year saw the number of accounting graduates hit its highest level since the institute's records began in 1970 at 64,221.

Part of this rise is down to higher demand for qualified number-crunchers from business, as financial scandals like Enron and legislation such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have increased the accounting standards imposed on firms.

Another attraction of the profession is its good long-term prospects, the site said accounting jobs often set graduates in good stead for running their own business - or could otherwise lead to that corner office spot in an established company.

Projections from the Department of Labor show "strong" growth for accounting between 2006 and 2016, with the profession's 1.3 million jobs expected to grow by 18% during this period.